New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-08-01
A RELIC OF THE POET GRAY.
Hrs COLLECTION or MUSIC IN NETWORK.

Ano,o the books that last " inter embellisbed the
,,sttv and happy home of Mrs. c. N. Raymond, she
that was Annie Louise Cary at No. 20 Fifth"ve; was
= TO of stately volumes OF manuscript mus'c ALMOST
equally interesting to literary and musical students
and relc-lovera Mrs. Raymond 10 at present enjoy
Ing her customary summer visit to her Name nome.
and the books resting on the shelves OF 1fend
In whom she sent them tew weeks ago. with the re-
marx that us no had taste tor such things he might
cnio, poring over them There are nine volumes.
Ali stouly bound in skim and each volume enclosed
In q purple morocco box. elegantly stamped, ana ior
the protection OF the precious volumes psddeu wiz"
velvet The running titles stamped on the pack OF 'o
boxes indicate the character OF the Volumes 'nous"
they do not disclose the fnl value OF the contents
Tbey are Manuscript Music" and below tins, IN ue
middle panel @Coilected by Gray" Still lowe, arc
stamped the names of the composers some % "noso
music, copied on old-fsshioned, yeiow' hano-n""0
paper, is preserved within au,
174Or-vritttn on the hogskin covers OIL Tue ooohr
and this tact together with few scattered neno' anu"
inscrited on the pages by the poet nmse'i' anoru
cew to the genesis of the collection lot al 'ne ac'S
mint to this that the music is collection made oy
a.. no., Thomas GRAY on the memorable visit which
no made 70 Italy in COMPANY with his old Elton school
mate. Horace Wapole. soa of the Wing Prime Min
ister immediately after the two young men had COM
pleted their college studies ut Cambridge lhe'r tour
ended in a Quarrel whereupon Gray returned to Cam
bridge Tho earliest date that appears is 1888, ana
this i. only an isolated Instance The collection seems
TO have been made In 174O. Gray was exceedhsiV
fond of musc aud an amateur performer as we'll one
OIL tho volumes contains evidences OF the seriousness
of his musical studies In the torn OF several pages OF
miles all written in Italian, for accompanying on the
har,schord from the thcroug h base figures TO which
were In the habit of restricting their ac-
compartments designed tor Keyed instruments one
hundred and fifty yesfs ago. The most interesting
account of Grays musical talents is that given in
The Memoirs of the Lie and Writings OF Gray, Dy
bis friend the Rev. w. Mason, which were puolished
In London in 1875, within four years OF the poess
death. Tho passage throws ligat on thls coiietton
and is given herewith in full
aThe Chief and almost the only,one OF these amuse-
ments--if we except the frequent experiments ne
mode flowers in order to mark the mode ana
progress of their vegetaton-was music. His taste N
This art was equal to his skill in any more important
scieuce. It was founded on the best models, those
great of Italy who i9urshed about ,he same
Hououcin's Vinoi's and Hasses works be made val
liable collection while abroad chiefly OF such OF ther
vocal eompositions Ms he had himself heard and ad
mired observing in his choice vi these the same
iudicious rule which he followed in making his coiec
lion OF priuts. which was not so much to GET ogelnet
coplete Gets Of the works OF master as 10 select
those the best in their kind-whoh would recai 10
his memory the capital pictures, statues and buildings
which he had seen and studied; by TINS means, aS
he acquired In painting great facility ana accuracy IN
the knowledge Of hands, 50 In music ne gained
supreme skill In the more refined powers OF expires
sion; especially when we consider tn art as an aa
&c png perhaps the lessons OF the younger
was what he chiefly regarded. 80
His instrument was the haIpsichord, on which,
though he little execution. yet when he sung 10 ~
he SO the small vers OF his voice as to be
able to convey to the neseb. nearer no nopd
seldom be prevailed upon to do even By his most
intimate aocuaintances.
in his youth. yet he so shy in exercising TINS
talent that Mr.. Walpole tells me he never couid bnt
once prevail him to give proof OF it and then IL
with so much pain To himscu tnat u gave III" ho
ma
The biographers statement concerning the quality
of Crays taste in nus;c is accurately borne out oy
the coutets Of the nine volumes in question as TO lead
inevitably to the inference that at least portion OF
the collection referred to is now in Newly Inc
whole of Pergoless stabat Mater. for two sopranos
with accom- of strings il contained in one OF
tia volumes besides number of other airs de-
cded historical novelty in the shape OF an air with an
accompaniment tor two string orchestras. which
memorandum the poets handwriting tells us he
heard sung by Monticello in London in l AZ. There
are two whole volumes of Leon ardo Nincis music, one
besides three four instrumental pieces by Hasse-
who here generally designated only as ii Sassone
1. the Sason'1. Tn, bulk of the music in all the
volumes is plainly the work OF professional copyis
the writing is large and free, in marked contrast
with the writing OF Gray, which Is found uniformly
Oh the inside OF the which bears table OF con-
tents 10 all of the volumes but The poets writ
ing is small and neat and strongly suggestive OF
dantness OF taste, patience, Righteousness and
methodcaness In work In TWO or three Of Inc VOL
which attention will be given later, but as rne he
seems to have confined his personal labor in the com
pilaon to the table OF contents, 10 indicating IL the
music the title of the opera which the music
taken the OF the singer from whom be hedrd IT,
and OCCASIONAL, date and an identifying epithet
after the name OF the composer, such as Mazzoni,
Boognese,n /" Sctti, Napole,ano," Carlo Arrigoni,
FlorentiBo" etc. AS the majority OF these composers
practically unknown come OF these memoranda are
hstoricall, valuable. Thus we have Orlandni de-
scribed ID us as Nitro (Maestro) di Capela al
Granduca,7 and told that one OF his airs Is from
q OIimpiade and was sung by Senesno. In this
m
singers that most popular in Italy century and
halt ago. With scarcely an exception the subjects
are classical and it can he seen that the same list
the tiles Catone7 q Aiessandro nell Indie.
Artasorse," siroe,7 . olimpiade," La Clemenza
da Tito" Demetrio," "Isspile,' Tito ManIlo"
"Rodelinda," "Themistosle,' Achille," Giro
RiconosOiuto." Among the singers whom Gray men
lions are Faiipeli, Carestui, Fariaino, Faustina,
Senesino, Cuzzon, Gabrielle Monticello and Viscontina
The last two he beard in of the operas OF his
fayorte Pergoles in London in 1742. One work by
Vinei TO have been 80 much admired by Gray
that he had copied entire Strangely enough though
the poet himself wrote the names and Indicated the
voices OF the dramatis PERSONA on the inside cover OF
the volume he neglected to transcrbc the title oil the
work, tor which the student Is therefore thrown on
conjecture The evidence OF the poetry and music Is
that It il cantata for which Metastasio wrote the
words called I" La Contesa de- Num- Vinci lwho is
frequently confounded by writers on music with
LeonaidC da Vinci, the painter who is credited with
having been clever performer the vol da eamba
composed such cantata in Rome in ~ at the re-
performance at the birthday festivities of the Dauphin
One change that has over dramatic music since
then can be read In the fact that Gays table OF
characters elbows that in the csntata the parts OF
aJOve" and Apollo" were assigned to sopranos
male sopranos, OF course. Vnci han been dead about
ten years when Gray visited Italy. He was a Royal
Chape lmaster a member of monkish order and yet
gay man OF the world. lie died OF poi5oa admins
tered to him in chocolate II Is said, ny relative OF
certain noble lady concerning whose relations with
himself he spoke boassauy IN public once too often.
In the larger oil the two Volumes OF Vincls music
the copyst seems to have left some Hia5s paper which
Gray filled up with instrumental pieces,
evidently also from operas which struck hts fancy.
There what Is called ioccsta by the Saxon, anu
also several minuets. Likewise q minuet by
Giacome and instrumental ariettas by David Perez
and Gaetano Latlla- Thirty. pages in this vol
umc are filed with dainty, straight. slender and long
limbed notes written by Gray. Two airs In of che
Hassc volumes also in Gray's autograph. and the
first five pages OF volume devoted to opera airs from
Michele fini, filed with the REGGIE per accom-
pagnamento already referred to- There is not word
Enesh In the COLLECTION The contents OF the